Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
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gallstones
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH
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Have you ever heard of the term cholelothiasis? Many people have not, but I’m sure you are familiar with the term gallstones. That is what cholelothiasis is.
This is a very common issue that affects close to 15% of the US population. That’s millions and millions of people. However, 80% of people who have gallstones are completely asymptomatic. They may not even notice and seek out treatment until they have a flare up. If you do know that you have a history of gallstones, it is important to make sure you are doing the right things when it comes to different lifestyle modifications.
What is cholelothiasis?
Gallstones are hard, pebble-like pieces of material that are made up of components in cholesterol and bilirubin. They start to block the bile duct within the biliary tract, often causing severe sudden pain in the upper-right part of the abdomen. The pain can be so significant that it can be called a gallbladder attack or biliary colic. Blockages in this area can also impact the digestive system.
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There are two different types of gallstones: cholesterol stones and pigment stones. The majority fall into the category of cholesterol stones. These stones are yellow-green in color, while the pigmented stones are darker and made up of bilirubin.
Helping with gallstones
Cholesterol stones and pigment stones are often caused by a lack of key nutrients in the diet. This is why having a diet that’s rich in fiber, fruits, vegetables and healthy fats is advantageous to gallbladder health. One such diet that could be advantageous is the Mediterranean diet.
THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET EXPLAINED – INVITE HEALTH PODCAST, EPISODE 89. Listen Now>>
Supplementing with nutrients such as Vitamin C and omega-3 fatty acids can also be beneficial. These antioxidants help to fend off oxidative stress, which can be a factor in the development of cholelothiasis.
In this episode, Amanda Williams, MPH defines what a gallstone is and how it impacts the body. She shares various factors that may predispose people to this issue, as well as studies indicating nutrients that may help prevent the formation of gallstones.
Key Topics:
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Medical professionals are utilizing Vitamin C for COVID patients. Here’s why Vitamin C is so important for the immune system.
The largest hospital system in New York State, Northwell Hospital, is utilizing Vitamin C for COVID patients. Here’s why.
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH.
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When we think about antioxidants in the body, many people will think immediately of Vitamin C, and there’s a really good reason for this. Vitamin C is utilized in so many different pathways in the human body, and it really is quite critical and essential for our overall survival. Many times when we think about this vitamin, people will have heard that it’s good for the immune system. It certainly is, but there are so many other ways in which it is required by the human body.†
We know that, as humans, we do not internally produce Vitamin C, so it’s not an endogenous antioxidant like glutathione, which is produced in the human body. We know that we have to acquire it from different dietary sources. For the most part, many people will get enough Vitamin C to avoid things such as scurvy. But are we getting enough Vitamin C that we get into that category of having the ability to promote cellular longevity? That’s what the key is.†
A really interesting study that came out a couple of years ago talked about the impact of Vitamin C on our overall health. It was published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The study looked at just how impactful having adequate levels in the body was when it came to all-cause mortality. In this study, what they actually assessed was looking at the long-term impact of the vitamin on human health. They took a group of people that they followed over the course of 16 years and they were looking at their serum blood levels, so the researchers were looking at the actual amount of Vitamin C that was circulating in their bodies. What they found was that those who had the highest levels in their blood of the vitamin had a 25% reduction in all-cause mortality. That’s some really important information to look at. Just being in the group that had higher Vitamin C levels led to longer lives.†
Ask Your Doctor: Vitamin C for Cellular Health – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 192. Listen Now >>
This is why we really have to understand what it is doing for longevity and aging gracefully. We know that Vitamin C has this potential to reverse these different age-related abnormalities, and this is really something that we should focus in on. We know that it is certainly critical when we talk about our immune system. Vitamin C helps with these immune-boosting properties and it helps to promote the actions of certain things like phagocytes, which chew up intruders in the body such as bacteria and fungus. It also helps with the activation of T cells, which are white blood cells that scan through the body, looking for any detectable levels of infections.†
Learn more about the role that this important vitamin plays in your body by tuning into the full podcast episode.
I definitely encourage you to consider adding additional Vitamin C to your routine, even if you already take a multivitamin. The amount you need varies. For some people, it may be 500mg per day. For others, 1000mg. For some, maybe 3000mg per day. It depends what your underlying health concerns are. We do know that dietary intake of Vitamin C alone is usually enough to keep us out of that scary zone of the development of scurvy, which has been, for the most part, eliminated. Making sure that we’re getting adequate amounts is essential because it plays an important role systemically.†
